Potpourri
States that Lay within the American Southwest borderlands
California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado
Spanish provinces in the New World were called__________ which means______.
Viceroyalties – appointed by the king
How many times was Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna, President of Mexico?
He was President of Mexico on eleven non-consecutive (1833 multiple times ,1834, 1835 ,1839 ,1841 - 1842 ,1843 - 1844 and 1847) occasions over a period of 22 years.
Order of immittance of southwest States into the Union
Texas, California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona
Who popularized the term: “borderlands history”? What was the central argument of their major work?
The “borderland history” term popularized by Herbert Eugene Bolton in his book: The Spanish Borderlands: A Chronicle of Old Florida and the Southwest.
Bolton defined borderland as the Spanish colonial possessions along a frontier in North America that eventually became part of the United States, where a Hispanic counterweight to the Anglo-centric historiography of North America.
He challenged the Euro-American/Indian frontier thought to have played a foundational role in creating culture and institutions of the United States where national historical origins were heavily influenced by the British Empire and the eastern seaboard of North America.
What is significant about Zebulon Pike’s explorations into the Southwest?
After joining the Army at age 15, Zebulon Pike and a group of soldiers set out in hopes of finding the source of the Arkansas River. The young U.S. Army officer, later led two expeditions into the West in the early 1800s, first venturing into present day Minnesota, and then heading westward toward Colorado. Along the way, he noticed “a small blue cloud” in the distance. Eager to explore what he saw, he traveled until he reached the base of a mountain that would be called Pikes Peak.
Pike's second expedition into the Southwest is mysterious, as it's unclear whether he was simply exploring or actively spying on Mexican forces in what is now the American Southwest. Pike was actually arrested by the Mexicans, held for a time, and eventually released.
3 things introduced by the Spanish to the New World. What was the impact?
Livestock, Plants, Disease.
Why were Texans (Americans) in Mexican territory? and what reasons (name 4) did they have for wanting to be free from Mexico?
Mexico wanted to fill out its northern territories to maintain control and to give a buffer to Native American tribes. Mexican government believed the Americans could be integrated into Mexican society Texans were not catholic, did not learn Spanish, low representation in Mexican congress, No slaves, and Federal soldiers garrisoned throughout the region.
What was the big issue that prevented Utah’s admission to the Union? How was it resolved?
Further serving to soothe tender religious feelings was Cleveland's pardon and enfranchisement, in September 1894, of all Utahns who had earlier been disqualified to vote because of their practice of polygamy. This was an extension of the initial amnesty and pardon offered by President Harrison the previous year. It was also an affirmation of an important ruling by the congressionally appointed Utah Commission in 1893 that "amnestied polygamists be allowed to vote." Everyone, it seemed, was in a forgiving and accommodating mood.
In 1890 church president Wilford Woodruff issued a statement officially disavowing the practice of plural marriage by church members. The statement finally cleared the way for Utah's statehood. The enabling act for admission was passed in 1894 and required that the state constitution ban polygamy.
What Progressive issues prevented Arizona’s newly ratified Constitution from being signed by the President?
In August Congress passed a joint resolution admitting New Mexico and Arizona as states. It was now up to the president. As expected, despite the Rev. Crutchfield’s prayer, Taft vetoed Arizona’s measure, again stating his case against the recall of judges, though indicating that Arizona could, after statehood, insert the provision into its state constitution without any objection from the federal government.
Within a week Congress passed another joint resolution that excluded the recall of judges in Arizona, and Taft signed that measure. It went back to Arizona, where the electorate approved the deletion of judges from recall.
What happened August 13, 1521?
Gathering local allies from his Tlaxcala base, and now supported by Texcoco, Cortés first won a great battle near Otumba and then returned to Tenochtitlan ten months later, laying siege to the city with a fleet of specially built warships. With these ships, Cortés was able to block the three main causeways which linked the city to the edge of Lake Texcoco.
Lacking food and ravaged by smallpox disease earlier introduced by one of the Spaniards, the Aztecs, now led by Cuauhtemoc, finally collapsed after 93 days of resistance on August 13, 1521. Tenochtitlan was sacked and its monuments destroyed.
The Tlaxcalans were ruthless in their revenge and slaughtered men, women, and children wholesale, even shocking the hardened Spanish veterans with their atrocities. From the ashes of this disaster rose the new capital of the colony of New Spain, and Cortés was made its first governor in May 1523.
Group of people that were allowed to move to Spanish America? and what was its caste system.
Only Spanish Catholics allowed to emigrate – Classes: European-born Spaniards; creoles (born to Spanish colonists); mezitos mixed parentage; Indians and blacks.
Identify three unique features of the 1st Constitution of Mexico:
The legislature was to be bicameral, with the upper house as the Senate and the lower house as the Chamber of Deputies.
Each state was represented by 2 senators and one deputy for every 80,000 residents.
The president and vice president were to be elected by the state legislatures for a 4 year term.
The Catholic church regained its monopoly on the spiritual life of Mexicans.
The president could become a dictator in times of emergencies. The clergy and military were granted the old Spanish exemption of fueros from civil trials.
There was to be a free press and free speech.
Indian tribute was abolished.
What was the major impetus for Nevada’s statehood and what was the unique circumstance that brought the territory into the Union?
There were reasons for both the rush to have a Nevada state, and for the irregular procedure. First, it was at a time when the nation was fighting a desperately fought Civil War, and Nevada Territory was universally and correctly perceived to be both pro-Unionist and strongly Republican. Thus, despite other territories having considerably more population, Nevada was pushed to the head of the line for statehood. As the 1864 Presidential election approached, there were certain perceived advantages in having an additional Republican state. For one thing, a Republican congressional delegation could provide additional votes for the Passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to abolish slavery, which earlier had narrowly failed to garner the necessary two thirds support of both houses of Congress. More overriding, however, at least in the spring of 1864 was the real fear that there might be three major candidates running for President that year, and that no party would achieve a majority of electoral votes. Then, as required by the United States constitution, the election would go into the House of Representatives, where each state would have only one vote, and where a Republican Nevada would have voting rights equal to those of populous New York or Pennsylvania. This made the admission of an additional safe Republican state seem quite necessary.
What is New Western History?
New Western History is a subfocus of New Social History where historians re-write history from the ‘bottom up.” They direct their attention from high politics to mass experience, from elites to common people, from capital to labor, from grand narratives of national development to the ways race, class, and gender shaped social experience.
The rise of post-modernism reveal contradictions, incompleteness, and contingency in social categories and processes change they way historians examine the past.
Relating to post war culture what were the ideals and themes that Knotts Berry Farm and Disneyland tried to sell/give to the American/Californian population.
boasting that “The Difference Is Real” at Knott’s claims that, unlike Disneyland’s fantasy-spaces, Knott’s Berry Farm offered visitors “authentic” historical and ethnographic facts.” suggesting that Knott’s presents authentic representations not only of historical phenomena but of “difference” itself of the Southwest.
Disneyland supposed to be placeless, even though it was very much the product of a particular place and also an influential force in the reshaping of that place. Similarly, the park was supposed to be timeless. Disneyland and Los Angeles became synonymous to Americans across the country. Disneyland became identified with the Far West. Its commercial success depended first and foremost on the patronage of Californians and other Westerners.
What are encomenderos? Why are they important?
The repartimiento-encomienda, which developed early on, was an institution of great political, social, and economic importance. In the earlier period this institution involved the assignment of specified towns to conquerors and colonists. Indians from the encomienda gave tribute, labor, and service to the encomendero, who was obligated to provide them with protection and indoctrination in Christianity.
The encomenderos' increasing control over the Indian population moved the crown to regulate the system. Fixed quotas of tribute were established, and royal officials (corregidores) took charge of the distribution of Indian labor and services. With the publication of the New Laws (1542-43), the crown assumed control of the many towns and encomiendas. Before the end of the century, the encomienda was essentially reduced to the right to enjoy the revenues from specified towns. It was abolished formally at the end of the 18th century.
Maximilian I and France invaded Mexico to protect their and other European investments and to expand their colonial empire. With prolonged guerrilla actions lead by Benito Juarez and a victorious United States (Civil War) France will pull out with Maximilian being executed.
What battle alerted Washington officials to the necessity of statehood for the New Mexico Territory? What was the opposition’s intentions?
The Civil War in the Southwest was indeed moving toward a climax. On March 27 and 28, 1862, regular troops from Fort Union, supported by the Colorado Volunteers, met the Rebels at Glorieta, in what would become known as the Gettysburg of the West. Victory was snatched from the Rebels’ hands when Major John M. Chivington of the volunteers delivered a wholly unexpected thunderbolt. The debacle at Glorieta and the retreat to Texas scuttled for all time Confederate hopes for an empire in western America.
One consequence of the Civil War in the Southwest was that the U.S. Congress finally turned its attention to the creating of another territory. Arizona was carved from the western half of New Mexico in 1863.
What are the three parts of Turner’s Thesis? Explain.
Our history has been a large degree the history of colonization of the Great West. The existence of an area of free land, and its continuous recession, and the advance of American settlement westward, explain American Development. It provides a key understanding of the origins of American democracy, the American character, and the evolution of the American political system.
Waves of frontier advances by Indian traders, miners, ranchers, and farmers provided a “record of social evolution.” To the frontier the American intellect owes its striking characteristics. The frontier promoted the “composite nationality” of the American people. Indeed, Turner went so far as to argue that “the frontier individualism from the beginning has promoted democracy.”
The wilderness process – The European settler is stripped of the garments of civilizations, and arrayed for life in the wilderness; he must accept the conditions of the wilderness in order to survive. Little by little he transforms the wilderness – and the wilderness transforms the settler into something no longer European – something uniquely American – a New (American) Man
This process of transformation from the primitive natural state to civilization follows Darwinian ideas of evolution. It didn’t occur once – rather time and again as the frontier moved west.
Each time a more distinctly American culture emerged….The recurring evolutionary process produced specific American traits: nationalism, independence, democracy.
Nationalism – the frontier broke down the geographic and cultural identities of the East – establishing and ever more American (and less European) culture.
Independence/Individualism – the wilderness promoted independence and self reliance as frontier towns become self-sufficient. For individualism – the tendency is towards anti-social, antipathy to control, and breaks down social distinctions where one’s value is the ability to survive and enable others the same.
Democracy – the vast supply of “free land: encouraged democracy – by acting as a safety valve - draining of potential sources of discontent before they disrupt society.
How many types of Historical Narratives are possible when describing the west.
Comparative narratives, Chronological narratives, Thematic narratives, Interpretive narratives
The Roman Church issued three bulls that shaped the Spanish New World. What are they and what did they do?
Pope Alexander VI in the bull Inter Caeterea (May 4, 1493) assigned dominion over the Indies and exclusive authority to convert the natives to the Spanish crown. His bull Eximiae Devotionis (Nov. 16, 1501) granted the kings the titles and the first fruits of the Church in the Indies. Julius II in the bull Universalis Ecclesiae (July 28, 1508) conceded them universal patronage.
Mexican Dictator that took control over the country in 1876. How did he aim to turn the country around? Why did the country turn on him, Who were the leaders of the revolution name 3.
Porfirio Díaz, Order and Progress. ‘marked increase in railroad construction, Silver Production, and oil production and export. By 1910 only 2 percent of the population held title to land. Only 10 percent of the Indian communities held land. Farmers were forced into debt peonage to survive. Land was confiscated from ordinal owners and the church, or deemed 'public' land and sold to Diaz favorites for a pittance.
Emiliano Zapata, Pancho Villa, Francisco Madero, Álvaro Obregón, Venustiano Carranza
What did silver-tipped canes stand for?
The U.S. Surveyor General did confirm original Pueblo grants after 1854, a ruling reaffirmed by Congress. But the duty of the federal government to intervene actively to protect Pueblo Indian lands from encroachment, the policy Spain had pursued, would not be recognized until 1913. Abraham Lincoln offered one small gesture acknowledging their existence in 1863. As early as 1620, the Spanish government had presented silver-tipped canes, or staffs of justice, to the Pueblo Indian governors as a symbol of authority. The canes, carefully preserved, continued to be passed down from one official to another long after Spain had given up her hold on New Mexico. President Lincoln, hearing of the custom and wishing to honor the Pueblos for remaining neutral during the Civil War, prepared a new set of canes, each with a silver crown upon which was engraved the name of the pueblo, the date of 1863, and the signature A. Lincoln.
Treutt’s 4 Factors for the Southwest.
We Resist Control
We Always have Opportunities
We are Diverse (individual and cultural)
Exist by definition of a Frontier